Texas Brine plans new barrier south of La. sinkhole

Published: Friday, January 3, 2014 at 11:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, January 4, 2014 at 12:29 a.m.

BAYOU CORNE, La. | Texas Brine Co. says it’s repairing and raising a sunken section of levee along the southern side of a sinkhole in Ascension Parish, and will build another levee behind it.

Company spokesman Sonny Cranch told The Advocate that crews began rebuilding the existing berm on Wednesday.

The levee, also known as a containment berm, is to prevent contaminants in the 26-acre, lakelike sinkhole from damaging surrounding freshwater bayous and swamps in Assumption Parish.

The Bayou Corne waterway is just south of the failing levee.

A 200-foot-long section of levee had sunk and cracked previously from micro-earthquakes dating back to late October. Another intense period of tremors between Dec. 23 and Monday caused additional damage, parish officials said.

“It sank a foot in a week,” said John Boudreaux, director of the parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

The latest drop left the levee of sand, clay, limestone and protective liner about 4.5 feet lower than its designed height of 6 feet above the surface, he said.

Boudreaux said the sunken section of levee likely would have gone underwater by now without the interim repairs.

Parish and company officials offered different assessments of what the immediate impact of a levee collapse would have meant for possible contamination.

Cranch and other Texas Brine officials have argued two factors limit the potential for contaminants to spread to the surrounding freshwater bayous and swamps.

Cranch said higher water levels in the swamp would have meant that water would have flowed into the sinkhole, not out, if the levee had subsided farther.

In addition, the sinkhole is naturally drawing water into its depths, a movement company officials suggest keeps deep briny water from easily rising to the surface.

Since November, Texas Brine has had to pump swamp water on occasion into the sinkhole to keep the water level of the hole close to the level in the swamp, balancing pressures on the levee.

Cranch said about 44.5 million gallons were pumped through Dec. 9, enough to fill 69 Olympic swimming pools.

But Boudreaux said failure of the levee could cause significant ecological problems.

<p>BAYOU CORNE, La. | Texas Brine Co. says it's repairing and raising a sunken section of levee along the southern side of a sinkhole in Ascension Parish, and will build another levee behind it.</p><p>Company spokesman Sonny Cranch told The Advocate that crews began rebuilding the existing berm on Wednesday.</p><p>The levee, also known as a containment berm, is to prevent contaminants in the 26-acre, lakelike sinkhole from damaging surrounding freshwater bayous and swamps in Assumption Parish.</p><p>The Bayou Corne waterway is just south of the failing levee.</p><p>A 200-foot-long section of levee had sunk and cracked previously from micro-earthquakes dating back to late October. Another intense period of tremors between Dec. 23 and Monday caused additional damage, parish officials said.</p><p>“It sank a foot in a week,” said John Boudreaux, director of the parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.</p><p>The latest drop left the levee of sand, clay, limestone and protective liner about 4.5 feet lower than its designed height of 6 feet above the surface, he said.</p><p>Boudreaux said the sunken section of levee likely would have gone underwater by now without the interim repairs.</p><p>Parish and company officials offered different assessments of what the immediate impact of a levee collapse would have meant for possible contamination.</p><p>Cranch and other Texas Brine officials have argued two factors limit the potential for contaminants to spread to the surrounding freshwater bayous and swamps.</p><p>Cranch said higher water levels in the swamp would have meant that water would have flowed into the sinkhole, not out, if the levee had subsided farther.</p><p>In addition, the sinkhole is naturally drawing water into its depths, a movement company officials suggest keeps deep briny water from easily rising to the surface.</p><p>Since November, Texas Brine has had to pump swamp water on occasion into the sinkhole to keep the water level of the hole close to the level in the swamp, balancing pressures on the levee.</p><p>Cranch said about 44.5 million gallons were pumped through Dec. 9, enough to fill 69 Olympic swimming pools.</p><p>But Boudreaux said failure of the levee could cause significant ecological problems.</p>